When is it time to start upgrading or updating kit?
As the off-season approaches, talk is about putting your feet up, resting and recovering. But how many of us have thought about our poor training kit and equipment that gets an equal hammering but often the TLC is neglected! Read on below and start thinking about what upgrades or changes you could make here to avoid injury and improve efficiency!
It’s off season, all of your goals and races are done, now it’s time for you to get your deserved rest and start thinking about the next season.
You have analysed all your races, all your workouts, all your metrics and all the data you saved during the year. However, how many times have you checked your training and racing gear?
When was the last time you checked your cycling cleats? How many miles have you put through them? How many times have you stopped for a coffee and walked on your cycling shoes without even protecting your cleats?
How many workouts have running your shoes completed? How often have you checked the sole to ensure they were still good to go?
What about your bike? Tyres, brakes, chain, cables and light batteries to name a few obvious areas that may be feeling it after a full season!
How old is your helmet?
Triathletes often love data, numbers and kit, some of it is important and some…well…some data is really just for you to put on social media! The question here is, how often you check the functionality and effectiveness of your training and racing gear?
If you do triathlon you probably love new stuff and you almost can’t avoid it: you(‘d) love a new bike – (n+1), you love a new pair of shoes because let’s be honest, you love to look good when working out with your friends but sometimes we neglect the less glamorous parts that often need replacement.
As an example, an old pair of running shoes can increase the amount of stress in your body when you run and consequently increases the chance of getting injured. The same happens with your cycling cleats, if you wear them for too long, they will start to degrade. Your body will try to compensate by doing additional movements in order to stabilise your knee track and sure enough, the possibility of injury increases!
The off season is a great time for your body to recover but at the same time it is a good opportunity for you to replace the (non-human!) “parts" that will have degraded with use and time. Your bike cables, and chain your running shoes, your cycling cleats are all items that need replacement from time to time and when you’re not training is the best period for you to do it: if you’re in your off season, you’re not worrying about missing your equipment or your bike in time for the next workout. It is really easy to adjust the schedule and do something else.
Far from recommending a yearly update or upgrade of all your items every December, we would certainly recommend consistent reviews throughout the season. For example, a bike check up every month can avoid a lot of problems in your bike during the season but while your race bike hangs up, now is the time to make those tweaks or upgrades you wanted to do and make sure it is ready for the new season. If you are spending a lot of time outdoors (especially on the bike) we would make sure you buy in the items you will need and put them on when the worst of the weather is over. If your chain is nearing the end of its life, you may choose to let it live the last of its days enjoying the harsher winter conditions before replacing the chain in the spring for that extra percentage of efficiency.
Our advice is, check all your training and racing gear now, when you’re stress-free and you’ll see that the risk of injury or the risk of calling a cab to get you back home will decrease, and let’s be honest, new kit always makes it sound like Christmas came early!
We’re here to help
Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.
The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.
If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.